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Teamsters, Overnite Meet Again

The Teamsters union and Overnite Transportation finished two more days of contract negotiations Friday, with the next round scheduled for April 4-6 as the union continues its unfair labor practices strike against the less-than-truckload carrier.

According to published reports, the Teamsters' Dave Cameron was upbeat about the talks, saying, "We feel like we are in the fourth quarter in the struggle." The union has been trying to organize Overnite for five years, and has been on strike since late October. Overnite is the country's largest LTL without a national union contract, although the union does represent some terminals.According to the Teamsters, last week's talks resulted in tentative agreements on contract articles on:* Non-discrimination language* Loss and damage* Bonds and driving insurance* Passengers* Military clause* Fair day's work for fair day's pay* Owner-operators* Lodging* Rain gear, aprons, gloves and yard lights* Sanitary conditions* Emergency reopening* Separability and savingsProgress also was reported in areas of seniority rights and layoff provisions, discipline, grievance procedures, equipment and safety, inspection privileges, meal periods and uniforms, jurisdictional disputes, suspension or revocation of licenses, and subcontracting and substitute service.However, some major sticking points remain. Overnite wants the Teamsters to offer a counterproposal to a benefits package already in place for nonunion workers. The union says it won't negotiate on the package unless it's part of the comprehensive contract agreement.